Anti-Oppression, Inclusion and Accessibility in Yoga

Podcasts & Articles

Whether we like it or not, and whether we want to admit it or not, yoga has become a very exclusionary practice that is limited to the privileged few. More often than not, yoga is catered to wealthy, thin, young, flexible, white and able-bodied people. However, as yoga teachers, we all know about the benefits yoga has for all bodies, regardless of shape, size, age, ethnicity or ability.

 

As yoga teachers, it is our responsibility to create inclusive, respectful and non-judgemental spaces where our students feel safe and welcome. Here is a list of podcasts and articles to support you on this journey.

265: Teach LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Yoga with Gabi Parkham

265: Teach LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Yoga with Gabi Parkham

How can we start creating safer, braver, and more inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ folks in our yoga classes? Gabi Parkham (she/her) shares what the acronym means, why education is an important first step, small changes we can start making, and more!

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259: Yoga in Schools with Crunch Ranjani

259: Yoga in Schools with Crunch Ranjani

Should yoga be taught in schools? Crunch Ranjani (she/her) shares her research on the Alabama law that prohibits yoga teaching in schools and her experiences as a South Asian growing up in a Hindu family. Crunch leads us to question – are we being harmful in our yoga spaces?

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249: Yoga for Older Grownups with Maria Kirsten

249: Yoga for Older Grownups with Maria Kirsten

Ever considered teaching yoga for older grownups? Maria Kirsten (she/her) shares more about what teaching yoga to older grownups can be like and her approach to teaching this group of people. She also shares things to avoid, health conditions, and more.

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237: Scope of Practice & Compassion with Drew Hume

237: Scope of Practice & Compassion with Drew Hume

As yoga teachers, what lies within our scope of practice when it comes to talking about vaccination? Shannon Crow (she/her) and Drew Hume (he/him) discuss some common sentiments in the broader context of conversations happening in the yoga community.

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231: Conscious Marketing with Tristan Katz

231: Conscious Marketing with Tristan Katz

How can you market your yoga in an authentic and genuine way that reflects the work you’ve been doing around anti-oppression and inclusion? Tristan Katz (they/them) has some insights and tips how yoga teachers can engage in conscious marketing.

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230: Anti-Oppression Yoga with Pooja Virani

230: Anti-Oppression Yoga with Pooja Virani

What is anti-oppression yoga, and how does it play into the way we share yoga in the world? Pooja Virani (she/her) explains more about how privilege, and oppression shows up in yoga spaces, and what we can do to create more inclusive spaces for all.

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219: Yoga for Abundant Bodies with Dianne Bondy

219: Yoga for Abundant Bodies with Dianne Bondy

How can we be more inclusive toward people in abundant bodies in our yoga spaces? Dianne Bondy (she/her) shares about being mindful of the language we use around people in larger bodies, and how to hold space for them in a respectful, and welcoming way.

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218: Body Positive Yoga with Gillian McCollum

218: Body Positive Yoga with Gillian McCollum

What exactly is body positive yoga, and how can we create truly inclusive and accessible yoga spaces? Gillian McCollum (she/her) shares insights about body positive yoga, the challenges and mindset issues we may have around it, and more.

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Open Letter to J Brown

Open Letter to J Brown

After hearing an episode of the J Brown podcast I felt compelled to email him and suggest ways that we as yoga teachers can learn together.

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210: The Future of Yoga with Amber Karnes

210: The Future of Yoga with Amber Karnes

What does the future look like for yoga, and what does that mean for yoga teachers? Amber Karnes shares insights on teaching yoga online in the future, why online yoga may be more accessible for some, and how to navigate moving forward meaningfully.

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199: Creating Inclusive Yoga Spaces Erin Ajayi

199: Creating Inclusive Yoga Spaces Erin Ajayi

What does an inclusive yoga space look and feel like to our BIPOC students? Erin Ajayi (she/her) shares her experiences as a Black yoga student and gives suggestions on how yoga teachers, practitioners and studios can create more inclusive yoga spaces.

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BONUS: Anti-Racism & Yoga with Michelle Johnson

BONUS: Anti-Racism & Yoga with Michelle Johnson

Today, in this bonus episode, we hear from Michelle Johnson on the topic of anti-racism and yoga. How we can, as yoga teachers (and studios), hold space for the conversations that need to happen? How can we move into the realm of social justice?

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108: Inclusive Language for Prenatal Yoga with Shannon Crow

108: Inclusive Language for Prenatal Yoga with Shannon Crow

Inclusive language is not something a lot of us think about or consider when we are teaching yoga. However, it is an important part of creating welcoming spaces where our students feel accepted and safe. This can be particularly complicated in a prenatal, postnatal, fertility, or baby & me yoga class.

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067: Yoga for Every Body with Amber Karnes

067: Yoga for Every Body with Amber Karnes

Amber Karnes of Body Positive Yoga, talks to us today about how we can use language, modifications, awareness and marketing to make our yoga classes accessible to every body. Amber wants to emphasize that individuals need to feel that it’s NEVER their body that’s the problem in a yoga pose.

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060: Accessible Yoga with Sarah Helt

060: Accessible Yoga with Sarah Helt

There has been a growing movement focused on making yoga accessible to all that has caught Shannon’s attention. On today’s episode Shannon has invited Sarah Helt, an Ambassador from the Accessible Yoga organization, to share her insight on this topic. Sarah speaks...

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